Data transmission is the process of sending information in a computing environment. The speed at which data can be transmitted is its rate. Data rates are generally measured in megabits or megabytes per second. As consumer use of larger amounts of data increases (for example an increase in the quality of on demand video streaming and/or downloading larger and larger data files), a demand for increased data rates similarly increases.
Data transmission can be wired or wireless. Wired communication protocols transmit data over a physical wire or cable and can include (but are not limited to) telephone networks, cable television networks (which can transmit cable television and/or Internet services), and/or fiberoptic communication networks. Wireless communication protocols on the other hand transmit data without a physical wire and can include (but are not limited to) radio, satellite television, cellular telephone technologies (such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE)). Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Many networks incorporate both wireline and wireless communication. For example, the internet can be accessed by either wireline or wireless connections.